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Polio this week

From the Arctic to Somalia: World Polio Day brings the world together

From the Arctic Ocean to Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe, communities marked World Polio Day 2026 with extraordinary energy, creativity and a shared determination to finish the job of polio eradication.  More.

What does it take to eradicate a disease?  A conversation with new WHO polio director Chris Wolff

In this episode of @Rotary Voices, Chris Wolff, the new WHO polio eradication director, shares why the final push toward a polio-free world is so important and why he remains optimistic that we will end polio for good.

Two drops, one dream:  a vaccinator’s 14-year journey to protect Afghan children from polio

Meet Rashed Anwari, and accompany him throughout his day as a polio vaccinator, a journey he has been on for more than 14 years.

Polio eradication through regional partnerships in Eastern Mediterranean

Two drops of vaccine are often used as a symbol for polio eradication. Yet protecting a child from poliovirus depends on far more than vaccination. It requires interconnected public health systems that can detect the virus, respond rapidly, reach every child and continuously adapt to changing risks.  Regional partnerships are key. Learn more here.

Summary of new polioviruses this week

  • Pakistan :  one WPV1 case
  • DR Congo :  seven cVDPV2 cases
  • Niger :  one cVDPV3 case
  • Nigeria :  one cVDPV3 case
  • Somalia :  one cVDPV2-positive environmental sample
Country updates as of 28 October 2026

More information on the countries that have reported cases and/or environmental samples this week.

  • One WPV1 case was reported this week, from Sindh, with onset of paralysis on 18 September 2026 (most recent case). The total number of cases in 2026 is seven. The total number of cases in 2025 is 31.
  • No WPV1-positive environmental samples were reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample:  10 September 2026).

  • Seven cVDPV2 cases were reported this week, from Haut Lomami, Lualaba and Tanganyika, with onsets of paralysis in September 2026. The number of cVDPV2 cases in 2026 is 84 (most recent case:  17 September 2026). The number of cVDPV2 cases in 2025 is seven.
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample:  31 August 2026).
  • No cVDPV1 cases were reported this week. The number of cVDPV1 cases from 2025 is one (onset of paralysis: 25 June 2025).

  • One cVDPV3 case was reported this week, from Diffa, with onset of paralysis on 17 September 2026 (most recent case).  There are two cases reported in 2026. 

  • No cVDPV2 case was reported this week. The total number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2026 is 36 (most recent case:  21 August 2026). The total number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2025 is 66. 
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample:  22 July 2026).
  • One cVDPV3 case was reported this week, from Zamfara, with onset of paralysis on 27 September 2026 (most recent case). The total number of cVDPV3 cases in 2026 is 15. The total number of cVDPV3 cases in 2025 is eight.
  • No cVDPV3-positive environmental samples were reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample:  25 September 2026).

  • No cVDPV2 cases were reported this week (most recent case: 22 June 2026). There are six cases reported in 2026. Two cases were reported in 2025. 
  • One cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week, from Banadir, collected on 21 September 2026 (most recent positive environmental sample).